Knowledge of the gas content in an engine feed pipe is a parameter that is important for resetting the operating model applied to the engine as a function of time, in particular for the engines of spacecraft or aircraft, which are typically reset on the basis of experimental data.
Sensors have already been proposed for taking such measurements. Mention may be made in particular of Document WO 2013/017795, which describes such a sensor in detail. The sensor described in that document nevertheless presents several drawbacks.
Firstly, it is a sensor of dimensions that are considerable, having a diameter of about 120 millimeters (mm), which is not suitable for pipes of small dimensions. Furthermore, the sensor described delivers an input signal that is multiplexed, which is penalizing for analyzing results. Finally, the sensor has electrodes and attachment rods positioned within the flow, thereby giving rise to head losses, and is therefore highly penalizing.
Document EP 0 488 507 also describes a sensor for determining the percentage of water in a fluid flow.
That document presents several electrode configurations such that the field that is generated is either parallel or perpendicular to the flow of fluid in the pipe. In particular, that document proposes incorporating a plurality of measurement electrodes in the walls of a fluid flow pipe, each of the electrodes being electrically insulated from the body of the pipe. The system proposed in that document determines the percentage of water in the flow by means of the voltage and the current applied to the electrodes, the voltage measured between the electrodes, and the temperature of the fluid at the measurement point.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 6,467,358 describes a method of measuring the contents of different fluids in a multiphase flow, by means of a system comprising three electrodes arranged in a pipe, with each electrode being electrically insulated from the pipe. That method relies on using a system for measuring electrostatic capacitance or impedance by means of measurements performed via the three electrodes.
The present invention thus seeks to propose a solution that improves these aspects, at least in part.